Viewsonic N4060w, WELCOME VIEWSONIC

VIEWSONIC'S LCD AND MOTION

• The top model in the NextVision series, with "HD Ready" certification, is convincing.

• Price: €2,666

• Specialists' rating: 4

• Text: Ramon Sendra

Many will recognize the ViewSonic brand from its wide array of LCD monitors for computer applications. Others will also know it for its video projectors. Now, in addition, we will know it for its LCD televisions. We have already witnessed several companies that, having once been devoted exclusively to the computer world, have made the leap to the consumer market. And most of the time with unconvincing results, perhaps because they thought that by adding a tuner to their computer monitor they would win over enthusiasts. Some of the products we have seen are so dreadful that not even the greatest novices have fallen for their charms. But before reviewing this television I had no doubts about the brand's professionalism. In fact, it is one of those that have taken LCD technology very seriously (not exclusively, of course) and set out to solve one of LCD's most tiresome problems: refresh speed. Thus, in its range of computer monitors we can find the 17" VX724 which, when it was launched in June 2005, was literally the fastest monitor on the market: just 4 ms. They now have 3 ms monitors. A quarter later they announced the expansion of their NextVision line with three models, among them the one we bring to these pages: the N4060w. It is a 40" LCD television, with only a couple of centimeters less usable screen than 42" plasma panels. Its native resolution is rated at 1,366 x 768 pixels and its brightness and contrast figures are, on paper, decent. Its connection panel is quite complete, all the more so if we remember the company's computing origins: 3 SCART inputs, 1 component video input, 2 analog stereo audio inputs, S-Video, composite video, PC and HDMI. But how will this television perform with video signals? Before tackling the tests, we find the answer in its whole array of technologies aimed at the audiovisual world.

First, we find some typical solutions such as a motion-adaptive deinterlacer, a 3D filter and a 3:2 converter, all of which, according to the manufacturer, are capable of delivering a sharp image free of artifacts and distortion. These are followed by an exclusive technology called Ultra-Brite which, combined with its fast response time (below 8 ms) and the Clear Picture system, ensures the audiovisual orientation we were looking for.

There are some aspects, however, that should be improved. On the one hand, the physical layout of the video connections which, in the case of this particular model, are on the back but too high up. Although there is a cable guide in the base and a cover that should conceal all these connections, a more suitable location should be found for them, one that is practical and makes it easier to hide the whole tangle of cables we will usually use. Like so many current televisions (although, fortunately, fewer and fewer), it does not have a digital TV tuner either. The finish of the remote control also leaves much to be desired, although it does its job. Let us not forget that it has earned "HD Ready" certification, which, this time, counts in its favor.



TESTED



The first step was to adjust and evaluate our guest using the patterns provided by DVE. I connected it to a Marantz DV7600 player via HDMI. I found it very easy to adjust, since when we use the advertised digital video connection, our guest only allows brightness and contrast to be changed. Nothing else as far as the video signal is concerned. Using the relevant DVE pattern I changed these values and did achieve a correct gray scale. In fact, the ViewSonic achieves very good results in this area, even though only brightness and contrast can be modified. The problem lies with the colors, since from the outset a strong oversaturation of red is noticeable. Since over HDMI it is not possible to change the other parameters our guest offers (sharpness, saturation and noise reduction), we can only do one of two things: either use the DV7600's own settings or use the component video connection, which does allow full control (albeit, as we have seen, minimal). And although via component we have access to more settings, we will not be able to make that red lose intensity (the only remedy is to resort to the player's features). In both cases, the very good gray scale gives us correct reproduction of blacks and whites, although the whites tend to clip slightly, without spoiling viewing. Comparing the same image via HDMI and via component video, we find that the digital connection wins on sharpness and depth, although it loses on color reproduction (I insist, the red is very oversaturated). Using the RGB connection via SCART, we have access to the same settings as via component, and the results are almost identical. Even so, this connection does not allow signals beyond standard definition, so the other two connections win by avoiding this ViewSonic's scaler. In other words, if we compare the Marantz's scaler with the ViewSonic's, the former wins, although not by a landslide.

With lower-definition signals (for example, from an Imagenio-type set-top box), I notice one of this television's limitations: its picture modes. The television we receive terrestrially or by other means (cable, telephone line or satellite) still mostly arrives in 4:3. If we accept that, for a high percentage of hours, we will watch more television than movies, good settings for adapting 4:3 images to the 16:9 screen are welcome (and valued), unless we respect the native ratio. This ViewSonic, however, offers only three options: 4:3, 14:9 and 16:9, which are insufficient for the proper viewing we expect. In this situation, the only option is to watch programs in their original aspect ratio.

Finally, the sound. In this respect ViewSonic achieves a decent solution. Dialogue is intelligible and coexists with music soundtracks without any problem. The horizontal placement of the speakers along the bottom does not help, as we have seen on other occasions, to achieve a good virtual surround result, although for that we already have our A/V system.

In some respects, this ViewSonic television goes much further than other models from brands with more "experience" in the audiovisual sector. Those brands have a fair amount to learn from ViewSonic. And ViewSonic in turn should polish some practical aspects (remote control, connection layout...) and technical ones (red reproduction, user-accessible settings, the digital terrestrial tuner). Even so, its offering is on a par with other, more expensive and popular LCD televisions.

VIEWSONIC'S LCD AND MOTION

One of this ViewSonic's strong points, which to some extent instantly makes some of its shortcomings disappear, is its high refresh speed. Although it does not prevent some moving text from remaining illegible (such as that in some commercials), it does largely remedy the smearing problems found in other LCD televisions. In fact, the better the video quality, the much better the final result. Thus, with native high-definition images, this ViewSonic's performance is far better than decent. Not only does it achieve a good gray scale (superior to that of other award-winning LCD televisions at European level) and a controlled color palette (with the exception of reds and a slightly bluish black), but the sense of depth and the absence of obvious artifacts in moving scenes make this LCD a television worth considering.

Viewsonic N4060w, WELCOME VIEWSONIC

Specifications

Screen: 40", 102 cm visible; 1,366 x 768 pixel resolution.

Brightness: 500 cd/m2.

Contrast ratio: 1,000:1.

Sound: 2 x 10 W RMS with WOW technology.

Connectivity: S-Video, composite video, analog stereo audio and headphone output on side panel. 3 SCART (2 RGB-compatible). HDMI, component video, PC.

Weight: 33 kg. Dimensions: 1,015 x 755 x 280 mm.

Distributor: Viewsonic.

Price: €2,666